Will You Love Me Tomorrow?
by Kernow66
Summary: If only we could see Caroline's thoughts... Ep6, S2, 'the reunion' from Caroline's POV. As always the characters belong to Sally Wainwright, I'm just borrowing them...


Caroline Elliot is a complex character who is not given generally to revealing her feelings and emotions unless it's annoyance. I love the way Sarah Lancashire has played her so subtly but it'd be nice to sometimes read Caroline's thoughts, specifically during Ep6, S2...

Caroline watched as Gillian took to the dance floor with Robbie. They danced while they were talking and it seemed to Caroline as if their conversation was poised somewhere between teasing and flirtation. Caroline envied Gillian her easy association and her seeming ability to conjure confidence out of the air. Maybe it's easier with men, Caroline thought and tried to remember if she had ever felt so lost with a man as she did now with Kate.

She scoffed inwardly, _who was she kidding, she'd never felt the way about any man the way she felt about Kate and had probably never cared as much about being even with John as she did about Kate._

_Kate. Kate. It all came back to Kate. God, what was it about that woman that had Caroline so enthralled?_

She vaguely registered the song now playing was a Carole King song but performed by Roberta Flack and fleetingly acknowledged that it originally came from the album 'Tapestry', which she had always enjoyed, despite John telling her it was 'simpering pap'.

'Tonight you're mine, completely. You give your love so sweetly.' The words twisted in her gut as she watched the couples on the dance floor. She considered making an exit and going up to her room; there was only so much other people coupledom she could stomach right now.

'Tonight the light of love is in your eyes..' Caroline sighed, _God I must look like a sad sap! Yep, I'm going to get the hell out of here and go and wallow upstairs in my claw foot bathtub._

Just as she was about to get up, she caught sight of someone out of the corner of her eye..._oh my god it's Kate! Why has she come back?! What is she doing here?! God, she still looks good!_

Kate looked at her, her face giving nothing away. "I got in and shut the door. Then I turned around and came straight back." She put her bag on an empty chair and took her coat off.

Caroline found she couldn't speak. The kick-arse headmistress was entirely and uncharacteristically lost for words. A part of her was worried that this wasn't true and that Kate wasn't really there but mainly she had absolutely no idea how to react. Kate had caught her totally off guard and she was so scared of saying or doing the wrong thing again she found she couldn't do or say anything.

Kate held a hand out to her, "Do you want to dance?"

Caroline felt like a teenager who might be being set up for the amusement of the in crowd by the coolest girl in the school asking her for a dance, only to laugh and run away once she said yes. But she also wanted contact with Kate at any cost. Despite still remembering how it felt in Kate's living room when she'd said, "No. Thank you."' after Caroline had apologised and asked for a second chance with her. Despite still not knowing how she'd walked out of there on legs that felt like they weren't hers and sitting in her car for god knows how long while she felt sick and empty and hollow with loss. Despite all that, Caroline reached out and took Kate's hand and got slowly to her feet.

'But will you love me tomorrow?...' _I have to ask. I have to know if this is just a dance and she's going to walk out on me again. I can't do that again. I've just got back to being able to function normally on a daily basis. I want more than a dance, I want a chance for forever, I want a bloody lifetime!_

"Is this like...umm.." _Great Caroline, you sound like an inarticulate teenager!_

"What?"

"Forever?" _Oh god, did I just say 'forever'?! Very cool, Caroline, very bloody cool! You may have just blown it, why didn't you just insist on an acceptance of marriage and have done with it!_

Kate gave the briefest hint of a smile. "Well, to quote Prince, forever's a mighty long time.."

_Who am I kidding, whatever she says, I'm not turning her down._

There was the slightest hint of a shrug and Kate continued, "...you know, in theory."

_Oh my god she's just given me a theoretical forever! _Caroline allowed herself to be led to the dance floor.

'Is this a lasting treasure? Or just a moment's pleasure?...' Caroline stood in front of Kate on the small dance floor, looking into her eyes, holding her hands. They swayed slightly to the music and Kate took Caroline's hands and placed them on her waist.

'Can I believe the magic of your sighs?...' Kate leaned her forehead on Caroline's and they continued to gaze into each other's eyes. Caroline's heart was racing, she felt like a kid on Christmas morning. Kate reached up and caressed Caroline's face, then gently lifted her chin and in the next second they were kissing.

'Will you still love me tomorrow?...' Caroline could smell Kate's perfume, could taste her lipstick and feel her warmth. _This needs to last forever. She is so beautiful, this feels so right. Please god don't let me cock this up again!_


End file.
